Looks to me your tanks may be suffering from OTS (old tank syndrom). Lack of water changes generally leads to this, among other things, like overfeeding, insufficient filtration, crowding, etc.
To prevent OTS from setting in, proper maintanence of the aquarium is a must.
Start with at least weekly water changes. Generally 30% a week is suggested. However, IMHO, the more the better... as long as the water going into the tank is simliar to the tank water itself (in terms of pH, and temperature), things should be just fine. The more often you do water changes, the closer the water condition of your tank will be to your source of water (generally the tap). This is a good thing. If something was to happen (ie. someone in this high traffic house, dumps something in the tank), you can immediately do massive water changes with little fear that your fish will go into shock. I can confidently say that in an emergency, I can easily do 90% water changes on all my tanks with little effect on my fish, because my tank water is just that simliar to my tap water.
Water changes is just the tip of the iceberg. Gravel vacuums are always a good thing to do. Gravel vacs are generally done at the same time as a water change. You probably own one a gravel vac and use that for your water changes, so I won't go into much detail on how to use them. I just want to mention that a good cleaning of your gravel (or a portion of your gravel) whenever you do a water change is a good thing. Removing excess organic matter from your tank will cut down on nitrate production in your tank.
Can you provide us with more details on your filtration systems? It seems like your tank is well stocked, so filtration would be important. In general, filters, and filter media shouldn't need to be replaced very often... perhaps once in a blue moon. All of my filters are stuffed with sponges and biofiltration media. The sponges are used as with mechanical and biological filtration. I rinse my sponges out in dechlorinated water whenever I do a water change. I will only replace them if they are literally falling apart in my hands... which hasn't happened yet. Carbon is generally not needed in a healthy tank.
As for people chucking in random things into your tank... you could build a wooden canopy (or buy one), and put a lock on your tank. That should prevent all but the most presistant drunk people from tossing junk in with your fishes.
HTH
-Richer
To prevent OTS from setting in, proper maintanence of the aquarium is a must.
Start with at least weekly water changes. Generally 30% a week is suggested. However, IMHO, the more the better... as long as the water going into the tank is simliar to the tank water itself (in terms of pH, and temperature), things should be just fine. The more often you do water changes, the closer the water condition of your tank will be to your source of water (generally the tap). This is a good thing. If something was to happen (ie. someone in this high traffic house, dumps something in the tank), you can immediately do massive water changes with little fear that your fish will go into shock. I can confidently say that in an emergency, I can easily do 90% water changes on all my tanks with little effect on my fish, because my tank water is just that simliar to my tap water.
Water changes is just the tip of the iceberg. Gravel vacuums are always a good thing to do. Gravel vacs are generally done at the same time as a water change. You probably own one a gravel vac and use that for your water changes, so I won't go into much detail on how to use them. I just want to mention that a good cleaning of your gravel (or a portion of your gravel) whenever you do a water change is a good thing. Removing excess organic matter from your tank will cut down on nitrate production in your tank.
Can you provide us with more details on your filtration systems? It seems like your tank is well stocked, so filtration would be important. In general, filters, and filter media shouldn't need to be replaced very often... perhaps once in a blue moon. All of my filters are stuffed with sponges and biofiltration media. The sponges are used as with mechanical and biological filtration. I rinse my sponges out in dechlorinated water whenever I do a water change. I will only replace them if they are literally falling apart in my hands... which hasn't happened yet. Carbon is generally not needed in a healthy tank.
As for people chucking in random things into your tank... you could build a wooden canopy (or buy one), and put a lock on your tank. That should prevent all but the most presistant drunk people from tossing junk in with your fishes.
HTH
-Richer
